Air cleaning device



Sept' 22, 1953 J. w. LoFToN T AL 2,653,016

AIR CLEANING DEVICE Filed Sept. 25, .1950

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Cittornegs Sept- 22, 1953 J. w. LoFToN ET AL AIR CLEANING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1950 mr I i im Gttomegs Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATESk PATENT OFFICE 2,653,016 AIR CLEANING DEVICE Jasper W. Lofton and Madison T. Archer, Houston, Tex.

Application September 25, 1950, Serial No. 186,576

.8 Claims. n i

The `invention relates to kan .air vcleaning device for engines of the diesel type and all other types of fuel driven motors requiring an air intake, and for analogous purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple practical and comparatively inexpensiveair cleaning device of strong and sturdy construction, designed particularly for use on diesel engines, and having a combined reservoir and sediment bowl and pro-vided with an air and liquid separator capable of being rotated approximately 7099 R. l?. M. by the suction of a diesel engine and with only approximately one gallon ci water or oil of being k99.5% effective in trapping harmful dirt and dust.

A further object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner of this character having a coinbined liquid reservoir and sediment bowl through which `the air to be cleaned passes, and equipped with a rotary air and liquid separator actuated by the suction of the diesel engine and adapted to separate air and liquid and permit the scavenged clean air to pass` into the manifold of the engine and at the same time, through centrifugal action, prevent the liquid from entering the engine and at the same time supplying to the engine vapor to assist in supporting combustion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner in which only liquid will be ernployed tor cleaning the air and removing there-A from dust, dirt `and other foreign matter, thereby dispensing with brous or Aanalogo-us filtering elements lor mediums which interfere with the free passage of `air to the intake manifold of the engine.

Another object of the invention .is to provide an air cleaning device for internal combustion engines which will not require professional care and in which there is no costly material to be throw-n away when servicing is required and which in servicing it will only be necessary to pour the air cleaning liquid out oi the combined reservoir and sediment bowl and, without washing or drying, simply ren-ll the bowl with liquid to condition it for use.

Also it is an object of the invention to provide an air cleaning device which, when water is used as an air cleaning medium, will trap the material substances oaf odors and other foreign matter so line that they cannot be seen even with-an ordinary microscope.

lt is also an object :of the invention to pro-vide an air cleaning device adapted for the use of water `as .a cleaning medium and having `a combined reservoir and sediment bowl .arranged so that as the temperature .of the engine rises the temperature .of the water in the combined reservoir and sediment bowl will be correspondingly elevated and cause a vapor which will pass through the .air and water separator and through the intake manifold of the engine and assist in supporting combustion and contribute to an increase in horsepower, cooler operation and less carbon.

A further object oi the invention is to provide an air cleaning device, simple in construction and easy to manufacture and which will enable the air cleaner to be put on the market at a reasonable price and pro-vide for longer life vand better performance of internal combustion engines.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

- Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional View of an air cleaning device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view oi the rotary air and liquid separator;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the fans;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken longitudinally of the lower portion of the vertical shaft illustrating the manner of mounting the air and liquid distributor, the shaft being shown in elevation;

Fig. 8 is a similar view taken longitudinally of the upper portion of the vertical shaft illustrating the manner of mounting the fans;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the tubular lateral air inlet.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one embodiment of the invention, the air cleaning device, which is designed for use on a diesel engine, but which is adapted for cleaning air for internal combustion engines of any other type and `for` analogous purposes such as air conditioning systems and the like, comprises in its construction an inverted approximately U-shaped conduit l having vertical legs 2 and 3 and a top connecting portion d. The lower end of the leg 2 is provided with an exterior annular flange 5 having a plurality of openings adapted to receive bolts 'I for securing the conduit to the intake of the manifold of a diesel engine (not shown), and in practice a gasket `8 will be interposed between the frange 5 and the intake of the manifold. The conduit I may be constructed of any suitable metal such as aluminum, and a reducing section 3 is rigidly connected to the lower end of the leg 3 of the conduit I and flares outwardly therefrom and is provided at its lower end with an annular flange It which is secured by bolts I I to an annular flange I2 of the upper end of a cylindrical housing E3, a suitable gasket Irl being interposed between the flanges I and I2.

The cylindrical housing I3 is vertical and concentric with the leg 3 of the conduit I and constitutes a portion of an air conduit extending from the bowl to the intake manifold of the engine, and said cylindrical housing is provided at its lower end with an annular flange I5 provided at its lower face with an annular recess I6 within which is secured a mounting plate Il consisting of a ring provided near its inner periphery with a plurality of spaced holes I'i registering with corresponding holes I8 in the flange I5 and receiving bolts I9 which secure the mounting plate I'I in a horizontal position to the lower end of the cylindrical housing. The bolts or screws employed in the cleaning device are preferably provided with socketed heads adapted to be engaged by a suitable wrench, but any other suitable fastening devices may, `of course, be employed and a gasket 2D is preferably interposed between the mounting plate and the flange I5 of the cylindrical housing.

The mounting plate, which may be constructed of any suitable metal, is provided with air inlet openings 2I which communicate with a combined reservoir and sediment bowl 22 adapted to contain a suitable liquid such as water or oil for i cleaning air entering the air inlet openings 2l and passing therefrom through the cylindrical housing and the conduit I into the manifold of a diesel or other internal combustion engine.

rihe bowl 22 is preferably constructed of glass and has a capacity of one gallon, which has been found sufficient, and the edge of the open top of the bowl is tted against a foam rubber gasket 23 inset in the mounting plate I5 in an annular groove 24 located adjacent the outer periphery of the mounting plate.

The bowl 22 is supported and secured to the mounting plate by a clamp 25 consisting of a substantially rectangular frame constructed of suitable metal and composed of spaced Vertical sides and a lower horizontal connecting portion and provided at the top with inwardly extending terminal arms 2S which rest upon the upper face of the mounting plate adjacent the outer periphery thereof. The bowl supporting frame preferably consists of a round bar bent into rectangular formation, but it may be constructed in any other suitable manner and the lower horizontal portion is provided with a centrally arranged internally threaded vertical sleeve 2'! rigidly mounted in the horizontal connecting portion of the frame in any desired manner and receiving a vertical screw 28. The screw 28, which is provided at its lower end with wings 29 carries at its upper end a head 30 connected by a ball and socket connection 3| with the upper end of the screw and provided with a cushion or pad 32 of foam rubber or any other suitable material for seating and engaging the bottom of the bowl 22. The screw is adapted to be readily manipulated by the wings 29 and the ball and socket connection provides a swivel joint and also enables the head 30 to adjust itself to the bottom of the bowl. The means for suspending the bowl from the mounting plate will enable the bowl to be readily attached to the mounting plate and to be readily removed therefrom so that when servicing is necessary it may be readily removed and the liquid poured therefrom and fresh liquid supplied thereto. Thus the air cleaner does not require professional care in such servicing and it is not necessary to discard an expensive iiltering medium such as brous mal fterial which would also interfere with the free passage of air into the bowl and from the bowl to the manifold of the engine. The mounting ring is provided with twelve equally spaced ll,- inch intake holes 2I which have been found to give satisfactory results, but the size and number of the air inlet holes or openings 2| may be varied, as will be readily understood.

The air passing through the bowl 22 is cleaned by a rotary air and liquid separator 33 acting in conjunction with liquid within the bowl 22. The separator I3 consists of a cylinder arranged horizontally within the top of the bowl 22, which in practice is about half lled with water or other liquid, but the amount of liquid may be varied. Under normal operational conditions the rotary cylindrical separator 33 is not submerged in the liquid contained within the bowl 22 but is located above the level of the liquid therein. When in operation air is pulled down through the intake openings 2I at such a terriflic force, at the rate of approximately cubic feet of air per minute per cylinder, by the suction of the engine, that the water is forced up around the water separator, causing a churning motion of the liquid and also causing liquid and air to be in constant contact with the separator 33 while the same is rotating, the rotary separator being entirely enveloped and submerged in the liquid of the bowl. During the operation, dust particles pulled through the intake openings 2i are first saturated with the liquid in the bowl 22 and then becomes as heavy as the saturating liquid. When this action has taken place, the air is then freed of both liquid and dust particles by the action of the rotary air and liquid separator 33. The cylinder is concentric with the lower end of the cylindrical housing and is of the same diameter as the cylindrical housing and it is open at the top and closed at the bottom by a head 34 consisting of a disc, preferably formed integrally with the cylinder and carried by the lower end portionA of a Vertical shaft 35.

The separator 33 is provided adjacent its upper and lower edges with uniformly spaced 1% inch holes 36 arranged in annular series, and the holes of the upper annular series are located opposite the intervals between the holes of the lower annular series. The separator is also provided at the space between the upper and lower annular series of holes 36 with two annular series of -tinch holes 3l, arranged in staggered relation, the holes 3l of one series being arranged opposite the intervals between the holes 31 of the other series. The cylindrical separator is also provided between the holes 36 and 31 with smaller holes or perforations 38. As the cylindrical separator is closed at the bottom the air is caused to pass through the holes in the vertical walls of .the horizontally disposed cylindrical separator and when the latter is rotated by the means .hereinafter described,l thechurning of the liquid resulting from the air .entering through the intake openings 2 i, due to the suction of the engine and the rotary motion of the cylindrical separator, will wash the air and remove therefrom dust, dirt and all foreign matter and even 'trap the material substances of odor which are so small that they cannot be seen even with an ordinary microscope. Also the centrifugal action .of the cylindrical separator will discharge the water radially outwardly from it and separate the Water and air and minimize the amount of water entering the cylindrical housing i3 and resulting in the air being more or less heavily laden with moisture. As the temperature of .the `engine rises the temperature of the liquid within :the bowl will be correspondingly elevated and when water is employed as the cleaning medium, vapor will result from such increase the temperature of the Water in the bowl and will pass through .the separator into the intake manifold which will mean better combustion with increase in horse power of the engine and cooler operation thereof and less carbon resulting in longer life and better performance of internal combustion engines.

The vertical shaft 35 is provided with reduced upper and lower end portions 39 and Ell which are journaled in upper and lower ball bearings il and i2 of upper and lower horizontal spiders i3 and le fitted within upper .and lower interiorly reduced portions d5 and it which form abutment shoulders for positioning the spiders. The lower end portion lill of the shaft '35 is threaded t-o receive a castle nut di' for securing the cylindrical separator to the lower end `portion of the `shaft 35, a washer 4,53 being preferably interposed between the nut and the head or disc of the cylindrical separator. The cylindrical separator is maintained in *proper position with relation to the open lower end of the cylindrical .housing by a spacer sleeve la interposed between the central hub portion of the lower spider d@ andthe disc or head of the cylindrical separator and provided at the lower end with an annular disc-like flange 5l) which nts against the upper face of the head of the cylindrical separator.

The cylindrical separator is rotated by the sucl tion of the diesel engine operating on a pair of closely spaced upper and lower turbine wheels 5l and 52 which are retained on the upper reduced end portion 39 of the vertical shaft 35 by a castle nut a washer et being vpreferably interposed between the castle nut and the upper turbine wheel 5l. The upper and lower turbine wheels have their perpheries arranged adjacent to but closely spaced from the walls of the cylindrical housing i3. The lower turbine `wheel is adjacent a spacer sleeve 5t provided at the top with a peripheral flange 5t which nts against the hub portion of the upper spider and the upper turbine wheel is spaced from the lower turbine wheel by a washer 5l.

Each turbine wheel preferably consists of a disc of aluminum or other suitable material provided with substantially sector shaped blades 58 formed by inner and outer arcuate slits 59 and El) and a connecting radial slit t l. The outer arcuate slits are arranged adjacent the periphery of the disc and leave a narrow rim portion @2 adjacent the outer ledges of the blades 58. The inner arcuate slits 6B, which are short, are spaced from the center of the discto leave a hub portion which is'provided with a central opening 64 for the passage of the 'vertical shaft. The blades are slightly deflected and set at .an angle so that the current of air created by the suction of a diesel engine will impart .rotary movement to the turbine wheels and to the shaft and the cylindrical separator carried by the shaft. It has been found by experience that with blades of this construction the suction .of a diesel engine will vrotate the cylindrical separator approximately '7G00 R. P. M. which will result in the air cleaner being substantially 99.5% effective in trapping harmful dirt and Vdust and other foreign matter, and that the .speed of the cylindrical separator and the centrifugal action of the same on water will minimise the amount of water entering the engine. When the air cleaner is applied to internal combustion engines other than the diesel type, it is necessary to positively rotate the separator to attain the necessary speed of rotation and any suitable means may be employed forthispurpose.

rihe cylindrical housing is Yprovided at one side with an air .opening 65 of approximately elliptical form and secured ov-er the opening is `a downwardly inclined tubular air inlet 6E tapered at its inner end and provided thereat with an attaching vflange 6l secured by bolts or other suitable fastening devices to the cylindrical housing, a suitable gasket (i8 being interposed between the attaching flange and the marginal portion of the wall of the cylindrical housing surrounding the substantially elliptical air inlet opening. A butterfly valve Se of conventional form mounted in the tubular air inlet B5 at the outer end thereof and adapted to be operated manually, or by any other suitable means, for opening and closing the same. Previous to starting the engine, the butterfly valve is turned to open position and after the engin-e .is started and the separator 33 has attained normal speed the butterfly valve is operated to close the tubular air inlet 66 and cause air to be drawn downwardly through the inlet openings 2i and produce the air cleaning operation heretofore described. The turbine wheels which extend across the upper end of the cylindrical housing constitute a barrier for moisture and insure vaporiaation of moisture passing to the intake manifold of the engine.

We claim:

l. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines including a combined liquid reservoir and sediment bowl for containing air cleaning liquid, an air conduit extending from the top of the bowl for connection to the air intake of an engine manifold, air inlet means located at the top of the bowl exteriorly of said conduit to one side thereof providing for the admission of into the bowl, and a high speed rotary air and liquid separator arranged within the upper portion of the bowl, said separator being of general cup-shaped formation closed at its bottom part and having its side wall provided with a multiplicity of holes for the passage of air therethrough, said separator having its open top located adjacent to and communicating with said conduit, the high velocity air entering the bowl through said inlet means at the top of the bowl acting to churn up liquid in the bowl and force the same upwardly to envelope and submerge the rotary separator, the dust particles in the air entering said air inlet means nrst becoming saturated with liquid in the bowl and then becoming as heavy as the liquid, the air being then freed of both liquid and dust particles by the rotary separator which acts to discharge the liquid radially outwardly therefrom, the cleaned air passing into the separator through the holes in the side wall thereof, the interior of the bowl being entirely free from obstruction between said air inlet means and said rotary separator to provide for free passage of air from said inlet means to the rotary separator except for the churned liquid within the bowl.

2. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines as set forth in claim 1 and in which the air and liquid separator is of cylindrical form.

3. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines as set forth in claim 2 and in which the holes in the side wall of the separator are arranged in uniformly spaced annular series.

4. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines as set forth in claim 2 and in which the holes in the side wall of the separator are arranged in annular series of different sizes and there are small perforations between the holes.

5. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines including a combined liquid reser- Voir and sediment bowl for containing air cleaning liquid, a mounting plate tting on the top of the bowl, means detachably clamping the bowl to the mounting plate, an air conduit connected with an air outlet opening in the mounting plate substantially centrally thereof for connection to the air intake of an engine manifold, said mounting plate having a ring of air inlets located about said central air outlet, and a high speed air and liquid separator arranged within the upper portion of the bowl, said separator being of general cup-shaped formation closed at its bottom part and having its side wall provided with a multiplicity of holes for the passage of air therethrough, said separator having its open top located adjacent to and communicating with said central air outlet in the mounting plate, the high velocity air entering the bowl through said air inlets in the mounting plate acting to churn up liquid in the bowl and force the saine upwardly to envelope and submerge the rotary separator, the dust particles in the air entering the air inlets rst becoming saturated with liquid in the bowl and then becoming as heavy as the liquid, the air being then freed of both liquid and dust particles by the rotary separator which acts to discharge the liquid radially outwardly therefrom, the cleaned air passing into the separator through the holes in the side wall thereof, the interior of the bowl being entirely free from obstruction between said air inlets in the mounting plate and said rotary separator to provide for of an engine manifold, said air conduit having a Vertical housing extending up from the top of and in communication with said bowl, air inlets to the top of the bowl exteriorly of said housing, a vertical shaft extending through the housing, means carried b'y the housing for mounting the shaft for rotary movement, a high speed rotary air and liquid separator mounted on said shaft at the lower end thereof within the bowl, said separator being of general cup-shaped formation closed at its bottom part and having its side wall provided with a multiplicity of holes for the passage of air therethrough, said separator having its open top located adjacent to and communicating with the lower end of said housing, and a turbine wheel mounted on said shaft above said rotary separator operable by suction from the intake of the engine manifold for rotating the shaft and separator, the high velocity air entering the bowl through the inlets at the top of the bowl acting to churn up liquid in the bowl and force the same upwardly to envelope and submerge the rotary separator, the dust particles in the air entering said air inlets first becoming saturated with liquid and then becoming as heavy as the liquid, the air being then freed of both liquid and dust particles by the rotary separator which acts to discharge the liquid radially outwardly therefrom, the cleaned air passing into the separator through the holes in the side wall thereof, the interior of the bowl being entirely free from obstruction between said air inlets and said rotary separator to provide for free passage of air from said air inlets to said rotary separator except for the churned liquid within the bowl.

7. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines as set forth in claim 6 and in which said turbine wheel consists of a disk provided at intervals with inner and outer arcuate slots and a radial connecting slot and having the partially severed portions of the disk deected and providing blades.

8. An air cleaning device for internal combustion engines as set forth in claim 6 and in which said housing has an air inlet port in the side thereof, and there is means for closing said last mentioned inlet port after the separator has attained normal speed,

JASPER W. LOFTON. MADISON T. ARCHER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,153,077 Hippel Sept. 7, 1915 1,350,605 Greenawalt Aug. 24, 1920 1,823,796 Everwine Sept. 15, 1931 2,314,986 Johnson Mar. l0, 1943 2,324,629 Kelsey et al July 20, 1943 2,341,771 Hagar Feb. 15, 1944 2,509,173 Schreier et al May 23, 1950 

